Crisis Communication & Management
"It takes 20 years to build a reputation, and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you'll do things differently." --Warren Buffet
Crisis: Any situation that is threatening or could threaten to harm people or property, seriously interrupt business, damage reputation or negatively impact share value.
How your company deals with a public relations catastrophe can make or break your business. Within 20 minutes the whole world can know of your troubles.
Every organization is vulnerable to crises. Playing ostrich is not an option. Silence is associated with guilt. One has to know how to anticipate and react to problems, respond to them effectively. Effective communication is vital in critical times. An ounce of prevention...
What can cause a PR crisis? Employee/executive misconduct or inappropriate public behavior and statements; operational failures; product recalls; poor customer service experiences.
Negative news and publicity travels in a flash and requires rapid response. Organizations cannot afford to be left flat-footed. Properly coordinated crisis communication is required. Crisis communication is designed to protect and defend an individual, company, or organization facing a public challenge to its reputation. Corrective connections have to be made to customers, partners, journalists, analysts and other industry influencers.
What is an organizational crisis? You may be “blind-sided” by a critical event. You are faced with a point of decision which needs immediate attention. If not handled in an appropriate and timely manner (or not at all), the event may turn into a full-blown disaster or catastrophe.
The types of crises that hit an organization:
Issues about products, services, facilities and people. They can be natural disasters, but most often are man-made. Often they can fall under the category of a “mistake.” The mistake can be inadvertent , accidental, as in product or equipment failure. But even accidents can be tied to deliberate malfeasance or neglect. The immediate damage may be injury, death, or financial losses.
The issue can be tied to practices, behaviors or misconduct of management or individual departments, such as manufacturing, accounting or human resources. The issue may revolve around failures on the part of the board, management or employees. The issue may be internal (resulting in injury or death, discrimination, harassment, financial losses) or external, affecting the health and well-being of the public. Often the crisis requires a quick but well-deliberated reaction to negative publicity, public backlash, or even potential or actual protests, boycotts and strikes.
Solutions:
Crisis management is reactive.
Handling a crisis is all about communication and corrective action. It means repairing tangible breakdowns and resulting losses as well as the more intangible sullying of the corporate image and perception by others. Too often “the horse is out of the barn,” necessitating immediate damage control.
Crisis management is preventive.
Another way of looking at crises is prevention. What are potential trouble spots and weaknesses with potential for disaster? What pre-planned actions and communication strategies are in place in the event of a crisis situation? Or, after a crisis, what can be done to make sure it doesn’t happen again?
Crisis First Statement
Guidelines (PDF)
Crisis Preparadness Self-Assessment.
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Communication Services
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